Arc Raiders is a PvPvE extraction shooter from Embark Studios, released in 2025 after several years of development and multiple rounds of public testing. Embark is the Swedish studio behind The Finals — a competitive team shooter built around destructible environments that reached roughly 12 million players in its first week after launch in December 2023. Arc Raiders is a separate and structurally different project from the same team.
Embark was founded by former DICE developers (the studio behind Battlefield) and is backed by Japanese publisher Nexon. That lineage shows in both projects: technical polish, ambitious physics, and AI behavior well above what indie-scale teams typically ship.
What Arc Raiders is
Arc Raiders is set in a post-apocalyptic future where autonomous robotic constructs — ARCs — descended from the sky and made the surface of Earth lethal. The surviving human population lives underground. Players are Raiders: contractors who venture to the surface to scavenge resources, fight the machines, and extract before dying.
The structure is classic extraction: you load into a map, gather loot, fight AI enemies of varying types and threat levels, and reach an extraction point alive. Everything you brought in and found is yours to keep — if you make it out. If you die, you lose your loadout.
The PvP dimension layers on top: other teams of Raiders are operating on the same map, competing for the same resources and extraction zones. You can cooperate with them, ignore them, or fight them. The choice has consequences either way.
ARC enemies are not passive mobs. They respond to sound, communicate with nearby units, and can call in reinforcements. A heavy Striker-class robot behaves differently from a fast Scout drone or a ranged turret variant. Engaging a group carelessly draws more attention. This AI behavior — built on Embark's experience with Battlefield-scale enemy systems — is one of the more technically impressive aspects of the game.
How Arc Raiders differs from competitors
The extraction shooter genre has clear incumbents. Escape from Tarkov defines the hardcore end: granular ballistics, inventory tetris, detailed wound system, steep learning curve. Hunt: Showdown occupies a distinctive niche with its 1800s monster-hunting setting and unique bounty mechanics. Arc Raiders positions between them — more approachable than Tarkov, less niche than Hunt.
The 3-player squad format (or solo, by choice) hits the coordination sweet spot. Three people can communicate effectively in voice chat, cover different roles, and execute plans without the overhead of larger squads. Squad size of 3 is also the extraction shooter standard for good reason: it makes individual decisions feel meaningful.
What separates Arc Raiders from most extraction shooters is the emphasis on teamwork against AI as the primary threat. Most of your combat in a given raid is against ARC machines, not other players. Human-vs-human encounters happen, but you're not hunting players as the primary objective. This shifts the tension in a different direction than Tarkov, where player encounters dominate.
Arc Raiders went through multiple public playtest phases in 2024–2025. Some mechanics — particularly progression systems and inventory management — changed between tests. The final release version may differ from what you saw in early playtests or streams from 2024.
What you can buy
Arc Raiders launched with a monetization model typical for modern action games:
- Game copy — the primary access method (buy-to-play if the game didn't shift to full F2P). Standard edition and potentially a Deluxe edition with additional cosmetics
- Cosmetic packs — character skins, weapon skins, gear sets. None affect gameplay stats or survivability
- Battle Pass — if introduced post-launch: a seasonal pass with cosmetic reward tracks
- Premium currency — for cosmetic store purchases
- DLC content — potential future expansions if announced
Embark's stated position is that no purchasable item gives a gameplay advantage. All weapons, armor, and gear that affect combat are earned through raiding. Monitor official Embark announcements for any changes to the monetization structure post-launch.
Why some players face payment barriers
Arc Raiders distributes through Steam on PC and through PlayStation Store and Xbox Store on consoles. All three platforms use international payment infrastructure — the same Stripe, PayPal, and card networks that process Visa and Mastercard globally. Players in regions where these networks don't process local cards (due to sanctions, banking restrictions, or regional payment gaps) face a dead end at checkout.
Steam's store works in many restricted regions — the library, multiplayer, and client all function. But buying games or adding wallet credit requires payment methods that process internationally. Players with Russian-issued cards, for example, lost this ability in 2022. Similar situations exist for players in other countries with payment restrictions.
How to buy Arc Raiders through Marix
Marix (marix.cc) carries Arc Raiders keys for all platforms with payment methods that work where Steam and console stores don't:
- Go to the Arc Raiders section on Marix
- Select your platform: PC/Steam, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X/S
- Pay with your available local payment method
- Receive an activation key or account credit
For Steam: the key activates through the standard "Activate a Product on Steam" flow — no unofficial launcher, no cracked client. The game installs through Steam normally.
Buy Arc Raiders on Marix
Marix sells licensed keys for Arc Raiders with payment methods that bypass the regional restrictions on Steam and console stores. No account credentials required. Support is available if activation hits any snag.
Advantages of buying through Marix
- Works with local payment methods that Steam and console stores don't accept
- Licensed keys for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
- Standard activation process — no unofficial software
- No account password sharing required
- Support available if something doesn't work
FAQ
What is an extraction shooter and how does it differ from a battle royale?
In a battle royale, you survive until everyone else is dead. In an extraction shooter, you enter a zone, find valuable items, fight enemies, and leave through an extraction point. The stakes are asymmetric: you can die to AI, to other players, or to bad luck — and you lose your gear. That risk-and-reward loop is fundamentally different from battle royale.
Can you play Arc Raiders solo?
Solo is possible. The game is built around three-person squads, and going in alone means facing the same AI waves and the same enemy teams with no backup. Some players specifically prefer the pressure of solo play.
Is there pay-to-win in Arc Raiders?
No. According to Embark's stated design philosophy, all weapons, armor, and gear affecting gameplay are earned through raiding. Purchasable items are cosmetic. Confirm with patch notes for any post-launch changes.
How is Arc Raiders different from The Finals?
The Finals is a fast-paced competitive team shooter built on destructible arenas with a TV-show aesthetic. Arc Raiders is slower, tactical, and carries persistent gear stakes — losing a loadout is a real setback. Same studio, different experience design.
Does Arc Raiders require a constant internet connection?
Yes. It's an online-only game with shared sessions. There is no offline mode.
Is cross-play supported?
Yes. PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S share the same matchmaking pool. Matchmaking may separate players by input method (mouse/keyboard vs controller) depending on settings and mode.
How does gear loss work exactly?
Everything in your loadout when you enter a raid is at risk. If you die, other players can loot your gear. Some extraction shooters have insurance or "secure container" mechanics that protect specific items — check Embark's current patch notes for Arc Raiders' specific implementation.
How does Arc Raiders compare to Escape from Tarkov?
Same foundational loop: raid, loot, extract, lose gear on death. But Tarkov is a detailed military simulation with ballistics, weight management, weapon customization at the component level, and a steep learning curve measured in weeks. Arc Raiders is more immediately playable with a shallower entry barrier — the depth comes from team coordination and map knowledge rather than mechanical complexity.
Conclusion
Arc Raiders brings extraction shooter mechanics to a wider audience than Tarkov, with polished squad-focused gameplay and AI enemies that behave like actual threats rather than target practice. For players who can't reach Steam or console storefronts due to regional payment restrictions, Marix carries licensed keys for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S with local payment methods and standard activation.